China Mobile and ZTE complete world's first D3-ELAA trial, delivering excellent user experience everywhere

• China Mobile Hubei and ZTE successfully complete the world's first trial of D³-ELAA (Dynamic, Distributed, and Deterministic Extremely Large Antenna Array) in Wuhan, marking a significant leap towards deterministic experience assurance and substantial user experience upgrades
• D³-ELAA represents a paradigm shift from network-centric to user-experience-centric service models, accelerating the evolution of mobile networks to 6G-oriented architecture

Wuhan, China, 15 November 2024 –– ZTE Corporation (0763.HK / 000063.SZ), a global leading provider of integrated information and communication technology solutions, in collaboration with China Mobile Hubei, has successfully completed the world's first trial of D³-ELAA technology in Wuhan.

The trial results demonstrate that D³-ELAA can significantly enhance user experience at the cell edge, ensuring stable and seamless connectivity anywhere, anytime. By adopting this cutting-edge technology, China Mobile Hubei is laying the groundwork for a user-centric approach to radio resource coordination, establishing a critical foundation for the future 6G network evolution.

D³-ELAA places users and services at the core of its design by dynamically organizing distributed base stations into an Extremely Large Antenna Array (ELAA), delivering real-time, deterministic services to user equipment (UE). This technology's flexibility and efficiency in addressing diverse user scenarios make it a key enabler for improving both 5G network performance and overall user satisfaction. China Mobile Hubei is leveraging D³-ELAA to enhance mobile signal coverage, creating a more reliable and consistent user experience across its 5G network.

In partnership with ZTE, China Mobile Hubei conducted the world's first D³-ELAA trial at Wuhan Institute of Technology. Despite the campus having full 5G coverage, some areas experience strong interference from neighboring cells, leading to sub-optimal user experiences. Using D³-ELAA, multiple neighboring sites were precisely coordinated based on user locations and service requirements, resulting in a substantial improvement in user experience.

The trial results are impressive: D³-ELAA boosted user experience by up to six times in specific areas such as the cafeteria, research center, and dormitories. Additionally, drive tests conducted around the research centers and dormitories showed a 23% improvement in average user experience, effectively breaking the traditional limitations of cellular networks. These advancements pave the way for future services like ubiquitous ultra-high-definition video streaming and extended reality (XR) applications.

Moving forward, China Mobile Hubei and ZTE will continue their research into user-centric system architectures and key technologies to support the evolution towards 6G and deliver unparalleled user experiences. This partnership will empower a wide variety of new services and scenarios, ensuring smooth and seamless connectivity in the future.